It’s early. Very early. Repeat that to yourself very often over the next week. Hell, the next two weeks. Don’t be concerned or thrilled with any of your top players yet. Gilbert Arenas and Chris Bosh will be fine. Luke Ridnour hasn’t exorcised Earl Watson yet. Just leave all of your top picks alone and let them be. That said, at the bottom of your roster, the first couple of weeks are a great time to make moves. Last year, studs such as Boris Diaw and Mike James were likely plucked off the free agent list in the very early goings. So without too many trends to really talk about yet, I figured I’d use our league as a good example of a competitive 12-team league and talk about some players who were picked up yesterday, and what their chances are for continued success.
Hakim Warrick – Ah, triple overtime. The two sweetest words in the language for fantasy owners. Warrick was only around for the majority of the first two last night, but it still meant he saw 42 minutes of action. So without the OT, think of it closer to 33, which is still a nice number for Pau Gasol’s fill in. The 22 and 12 is very nice, but that 4-of-12 from the line is straight up brutal. You have to think that will improve at least a bit, you also have to remember that the Grizzlies weren’t just missing Gasol last night, they were also missing Stromile Swift. Swift will get his minutes when he’s healthy enough, and while some of them might come at the expense of Jake Tsakalidis, some of them will also come at the expense of Warrick. The Grizzlies gave it a valiant effort last night, but the fact remains that they still lost. At home. Against the Knicks. I have a feeling minutes will shift on a nightly basis on this team, making just about everyone a shaky fantasy option.
Anthony Parker – In another situation, Parker would have had a lot more hype coming into the season. We can get infatuated with foreigners, but usually when they’re young, not when they are 31 years old. Even if he was proven as one of the best players in the EuroLeague. If Parker signed with a big market team, it might have made more of a splash. But instead he signed with Toronto, where it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. It also wasn’t clear whether he’d have a starting job this year or not. Well, he won the SG job ahead of Fred Jones and had quite a debut last night, going for 22/3/2 with 2 steals and 2 3s in 36 minutes. Sarunas Jasikevicius had a difficult time adjusting to the NBA after coming over in a similar situation last year, so don’t get too hyped on Parker just yet. But it’s always nice to come out of the game with a starting job, so Parker’s ahead of the curve there.
Sean May – With Primoz Brezec out for a couple of weeks because he’s got, uh, he’s, uh … a bit sleepy? … the Bobcats shifted Emeka Okafor to center and plugged in May as the starting PF. May got a solid 33 minutes of PT and did about what was to be expected. He hit 5-of-11 shots, grabbed 10 boards and did little else. May’s undersized at PF and isn’t the most athletic player, so he’ll never block too many shots, which will limit his fantasy upside. There’s certainly a place for points/boards guys on fantasy rosters, and May’s a capable scorer and rebounder, but he needs to shoot better than the 41% he did last year. Still, he could have some long term value. I always take a worst-case scenario when it comes to injuries in this league, especially mysterious illnesses like the one Brezec is suffering from. He could very well be out for just two weeks and return to his starting job, but it’s not something I’d consider a given.
Etan Thomas – I obviously watched the entire Wizards game, so I can give a pretty good report on Thomas. (By the way, this game tonight was a perfect example of why it would have been a terrible idea for me to have Gilbert Arenas on my team. I’d be so miserable.) Anyway, Thomas was a legit force inside, hitting all 7 of his shots, being aggressive on the offensive boards and swatting away a couple of shots. But Eddie Jordan went away from him in the second half and Thomas finished with only 22 minutes. I like Jordan, but I’ve never completely understood his substitution patterns, and this game was another example. The Cavs are a very big team that thrives on the offensive glass, yet the Wizards played with a small lineup for much of the second half. Whatever. Thomas won’t always be as efficient as he was last night, and until it looks like he’s going to break 30 minutes a night – something I don’t see happening any time soon – he’s best left on the free agent list.